The Ace from the Sleeve

Mr. Vlatkovic has arrived on the scene as the ace from the sleeve, not only because nobody from the so-called well-informed circles mentioned him as the possible candidate, but because he himself did not see this as a possibility only a month ago. This is at the same time the first time in the recent history of this area that the same person finds himself twice in the seat of the first man of the central bank. Dusan Vlatkovic was the last governor of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), and since he found himself in that office during the breakdown of the country, he kept the office unusually long: from 1989 to 1992. He will certainly be remembered also as the man who observed the intrusion of Serbia into the payment operations of SFRY from the forward most position. His associates from that time say that he was remarkable in his extreme patience and persistence during the long and stormy meetings in the National Bank of Yugoslavia (NBY). He would not let the meeting be adjourned until a decision was made, even when the meetings lasted for ten hours or more. Journalists and associates remember him as a fair man.

Dusan Vlatkovic was born on February 12, 1938 in Backa Topola, which may qualify him for good cooperation with Mihalj Kertes, the chief of federal customs. He graduated from the Economics High School in Subotica and the School of Economics in Belgrade (in 1962). He has worked as Vojvodina's secretary of finance, was the member of the government of the SAP Vojvodina, member of the presidency of the SAP Vojvodina, the president of the Vojvodjanska Bank and the representative in the Parliament of SFRY. His wife Tatjana is a dental technician and they have two children - daughter Valentina and son Vladimir. He likes basketball and athletics.